The invention relates to a heated ear guard. More particularly, the invention relates to an ear guard that employs radiant heat from a pair of light bulbs to warm the ears of a user.
It is well known that in cold weather the head loses more heat than any other part of the body. For this reason when encountering severe weather it is highly advisable to cover as much of the head as possible.
The ears are especially vulnerable to cold temperature. Because they are substantially situated external to the body, blood circulation is often insufficient to maintain normal temperature. For this reason, painful sensations of cold are most quickly felt at the ears. In fact, extreme cold can be harmful to the ears.
Various garments are used in an attempt to keep the ears warm and to shield them from the elements. Hats, hoods, and scarves, and other garments are intended for keeping the head warm—and incidentally have some effectiveness in keeping the ears warm. Among these, however, earmuffs are specifically aimed at protecting the ears. Typically, earmuffs comprise a pair of earmuff elements each in the form of a large, thick, insulated disk sized to cover the ear. These earmuff elements are rather stiff constructs, and they are usually interconnected by an arcuate strip of metal or plastic that is stiff yet resilient enough so that the earmuff elements may be positioned over the ears or held in position with the spring-like action of the band member which arches over and is supported by the top of the wearer's head. Earmuffs work by attempting to insulate the ears and prevent them from losing heat. However, in extreme cold and when spending extended period of time outdoors, conventional earmuffs are insufficient to keep the ears warm.
Some have proposed earmuffs that actually generate heat. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,016,574 to Chen and U.S. Pat. No. 6,392,196 to Lin each disclose earmuffs that employ electric heating elements. Unfortunately, it is well known that electrically generated heat consumes much power, making battery-powered heaters impractical. For the person wearing such electrically heated earmuffs, they would either need to replace batteries frequently or be tethered to a line power source.
In part to avoid the complication of batteries or connection to electric outlets, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,809,573, Bary has proposed a heated ear warmer that employs an exothermic chemical reaction. In particular, packets of exothermic heat dispensing material are inserted into the ear covers prior to use. Unfortunately, once the chemicals within the packets are spent, they must be replaced before the ear warmer can be used again.
While these units may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as disclosed hereafter.
In addition, the ears are also vulnerable to damage in noisy environments. Specifically designed ear guards are often employed to protect the hearing those engaged in certain occupations that subject them to dangerously high noise levels for extended periods of time. In particular, airport crew and construction workers often wear noise attenuating ear guards to lower the sound levels they are subjected to. Typically, however, these ear guards do not provide any significant protection from cold temperatures.
It should be noted that many of these same professions that subject workers to prolonged exposure to cold and noise also subject the worker to the hazard of vehicles and heavy objects colliding with the worker. Accordingly, in many of these professions, the visibility of the worker greatly increases safety and helps prevent accidents.
Accordingly, there is a need for an earmuff that reliably keeps the ears of a wearer warm by efficiently heating the same, while increasing the visibility of the wearer to enhance the safety thereof.